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Giving Medics an Authentic Voice
Prescription for a Frozen Heart follows a brilliant but emotionally guarded sports doctor who avoids children at all costs and meets an emotionally unavailable single father that she did not expect to fall for. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
This book draws heavily from my own life. I wanted to give medics a voice for the true challenges we face that usually are glossed over when a medical romance is written by a lay person. I have given Charlie my day job, yet she is not me. My niece was 11 at the time I was writing. I wanted a brooding man who was flawed but redeemable and I intentionally created a character arc for him to show this.
What was your writing process to ensure you captured the essence of the characters?
I defined my characters before I started writing. Their flaws, their habits, their go to tics, and their appearances. I thought about how they would react differently given the same situation. In my head they are real people.
Was there a reason why you chose this location as the backdrop for your story?
It’s set in the small rural town I work in, since Charlie got my job.
What next book are you working on, and when will it be available?
I’m creating a sweet time-travel romance. Imagine: Pride & Prejudice meets Jurassic Park. It’s too early to give a date yet. I am having a ball writing it 😊
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Instagram
“How could one little six-character word hurt so much?
Like a knife had been skewered into her heart and twisted for good measure, the tip snapping off, imbedded, left there to rust, instead of being quickly withdrawn to bleed to death and end the pain. And then a magnet in the form of cheery Em would waltz by and tug on that vicious tip, making her bleed all over again.”
Prescription for a Frozen Heart
Jo-Anne Duffett’s Prescription for a Frozen Heart is an emotionally charged, slow-burn romance wrapped in medical drama, set against the backdrop of South Africa. It follows Dr. Charlotte “Charlie” Kriel, a brilliant but emotionally guarded sports doctor who avoids children at all costs, and Dr. Thomás Ribeiro, a single father with a past that’s left him emotionally unavailable. Their paths collide when Charlie meets Thomás’s inquisitive daughter, Emilía, whose presence cracks the icy barriers both doctors have built around their hearts. The book takes readers on a journey of healing, self-discovery, and the undeniable pull of love even when one fights against it.
Right off the bat, I was hooked by Charlie’s complexity. She’s strong and capable, yet vulnerable in a way that makes her feel real. The opening scene, where she panics over a child job-shadowing her, had me both sympathizing with her fears and chuckling at her avoidance tactics. The author does an excellent job of balancing her trauma with her competence, making her struggles with children feel deeply personal rather than overdone. When Emilía enters the picture, she is smart-mouthed and full of life, and you can feel Charlie’s carefully controlled world shift. The way she instinctively rubs her chest to stave off old wounds whenever faced with children? That small detail speaks volumes.
Thomás, on the other hand, is the perfect counterweight to Charlie. He’s intense, brooding, and smoking hot. But beneath his Arctic Ice exterior, as Charlie calls it, is a devoted father who would do anything for Emilía. The tension between him and Charlie is electric, not just because of their attraction but because of the fundamental differences in how they process their pain. His initial judgmental nature (calling Charlie unfit when she faints) made me want to throw something at him, but his protective instincts and slow unraveling into someone who actually listens made me forgive him.
The banter between Charlie and Thomás crackles with chemistry, and Emilía’s sharp wit keeps things from getting too heavy. The writing flows effortlessly, blending medical authenticity with deeply personal stakes. Some moments genuinely made me tear up, especially when Charlie wrestles with her longing for a child of her own while pretending she doesn’t care. Duffett weaves in medical details seamlessly, grounding the story in realism without bogging it down with jargon. It’s clear she knows the medical world well, and that authenticity makes the characters’ struggles feel even more tangible.
By the time the story reaches its climax, the emotional stakes are sky-high. Secrets are revealed, walls come down, and the push-and-pull between Charlie and Thomás reaches a breaking point that had me flipping pages like my life depended on it. And the ending? Satisfying as hell.
If you love slow-burn romance with depth, emotionally wounded yet resilient protagonists, and stories about found families, Prescription for a Frozen Heart will melt you. Fans of medical dramas like Grey’s Anatomy or heartfelt contemporary romances will eat this up. I’d especially recommend it to those who enjoy single-dad romances with a heroine who isn’t afraid to challenge her own fears.
Pages: 293 | ASIN : B0DSWHL48Y
Second Chance -The Adventures of Gianni & Pepina
Dr. Gianni Pisano, a once up-and-coming medical doctor, finds himself in South France years later, succumbing to his vices. Embracing a life full of drugs and alcohol, he is adamant in making sure that his troubles are always out of his mind, particularly his wife’s tragic death a few years past. During his isolation, he meets Pepina Soler, a Catalonian woman that may just be his saving grace. As the two bond over what the south of France has to offer — food, nature, and art — they also learn a thing or two about life, love, and the second chances they offer.
Second Chance – The Adventures of Gianni & Pepina, by Giuseppe Scarpine, is a captivating story that will leave you longing for a summer getaway in rural France, all while contemplating universal questions we have asked ourselves for a long time. Combined with humorous lines and scenes here and there, this book keeps the feeling of its readers light as they look forward to the two characters’ next adventures in the coming pages.
For a person living in the city, a book set in an entirely different place was something I eagerly welcomed, and the author’s detailed explanation of the surroundings helped build my imagination. In a way, South France’s comfort to its citizens and tourists extended to its audience. Furthermore, the large number of characters was given an equal place in the story, for each contributed in one way or another. While some scenes are more memorable than others, the flow of the story made sense in such a way that despite the beauty and comedy of the book, its thought-provoking aspects will surely leave a reader’s mind creating questions and answers simultaneously. By the end of the story, not everything was answered, opening the events up for another book, but it still felt as if the events had a full-circle moment, leaving me with a smile on my face as I finally turned the last page.
This is highly recommended for anyone interested in reading about soul searching, travel, and lifestyle. The comedic approach will also serve as a great pull to potential readers since reading books about the said categories can sometimes be too focused on giving tips and advice. Second Chance – The Adventures of Gianni & Pepina can also be read by those in their 50s or older, for the characters will resonate with them and might give these readers inspiration to take on new adventures without the hindrance of age.
Pages: 264 | ASIN : B09952D5FJ
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